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Sunday, April 13, 2014

Kick Back & Relax

After being in the crazy, fast paced lifestyle of Istanbul for over a month, our Spring Break trip to Cappadocia was well needed. As much as I have come to love the city, I found myself missing the natural landscape and activities like hiking, swimming, and exploring. The first place we went was Ürgüp where we stayed in a cave hotel. The entire surrounding landscape varies greatly from Istanbul by being composed of villages that have carved out houses, churches and monasteries from the soft rocks of volcanic deposits.The best part is that you are allowed to climb and explore them as you wish. As much fun as that was, my favorite activity there was the sunrise hot air balloon ride we took. I won't deny that I was extremely nervous, however it was the best experience of my life. Floating above a landscape that I'd never seen anything like, surrounded by many other balloons made the experience feel as if it was something out of a novel.After spending a few days there, we headed to Kuşadası to spend our time on the beachfront swimming and getting some sun (maybe too much sun). I loved relaxing and swimming in the clear, blue water of the Aegean Sea and taking a day trip to Ephesus. The trip to Ephesus not only sparked my interest because of the Library of Celsus but also because it contains the largest collection of Roman ruins in the eastern Mediterranean. Only an estimated 15% has been excavated. I loved having the opportunity to walk through an active dig site and see excavation in process.Overall, my Spring Break trip was exactly what I need. It was a chance to have a small break from a stunning city to see more of a country that I did not know much about before coming. It's sad for me to think that I have only a few weeks left before I come back to Minnesota, so I will have to make the most of the limited time I have left!